Confectionery items such as licorice, jelly beans, and sugared jellies made with sugar, water, and food starches have been popular for decades. These confections have a firm, yet pliable texture which contributes to their desirable eating quality. These confections are typically manufactured by a starch mold casting process known as the Mogul system. In this process, the liquid ingredient blends consisting of sugar, corn syrup, food starch and other food ingredients are heat processed at a temperature above the boiling point of the liquid mixture until a moisture level above that of the finished confection is reached and the starch is fully gelatinized. In a typical production process of a commercial Mogul system, the ingredients are heat processed at a moisture level of about 20 to 25 weight percent at a temperature of about 250° to 350° F. for less than 1 minute. The starch is generally an acid-thinned (also known as thin-boiling) commercial corn starch or a high-amylose starch or a blend thereof. After heat processing, the hot liquid mixture is deposited into a starch mold. The starch mold defines the shape of the confection and helps to reduce the moisture content. The deposited confections are then routinely dried for about 24 to 72 hours to reach the desired moisture content of about 14 to 20 weight percent.
Confections called fruit snacks that are produced by the above process and include a certain percentage of fruit juices and fruit purees have become very popular with consumers because of their healthy connotation. The heat processed fruit snack mixture must set quickly in the starch molds in order to avoid molding starch getting imbedded in the deposited pieces. Thin boiling starch along with sugar and corn syrup in the formulation functions as a quick setting agent. Some starch in the fruit snack formulation can be replaced with gelatin. Replacing all the starch produces a tough gummy bear or wine gum type texture and is not desirable. Sugar and corn syrup are also essential ingredients in the process. A significant reduction in the sugar and corn syrup content of the formulation gives a sticky/tacky surface that is difficult to manage on packaging equipment. The sticky/tacky texture is also not desirable from a consumer appeal point of view. For the foregoing reasons, it is has not been heretofore possible to produce a good quality fruit snack produced from fruit juices and purees without the use of acid thinned starches alone or in combination with gelatin.